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Posted to uk.d-i-y
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OT-ish - drain blockages, neighbours etc
wrote:
On 25 Aug,
"Roger Mills" wrote:
First question is whether it is a public or private sewer? If it just
serves 2 or 3 properties, chances are that it is a private sewer, in which
case the unblocking costs are the responsibility of the householders whose
properties are served by it - *unless* the properties were built before
193x (I forget the exact date, but it's thirty-something), in which case
it's the water board's responsibility, and you shouldn't be wasting money
on private contractors such as DynoRod.
Assuming it's down to the householders, your deeds will say something about
it - but the most likely scenario is that the owners of all properties
served by the sewer are jointly responsible, even if not equally affected
by the problem.
If you don't discharge into the blocked section it is not your
responsiblility. If you do you share the costs, but not if it was built
before 193mumble, when it is the Water Co's rsponsibility.
However, if you ask a private contractor and not the water Co. to do the job,
it remains your responsibility to pay them.
I suspect for practical reasons the whole of the shared sewer is
normally down to the water company. It's quicker for them to just clear
it than to try and pinpoint the problem. There is also the scenario
where the people on whose property the blockage occurs are on holiday etc
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